Serendipitous
by AutumnDreamer
Summary: A chance encounter throws Edward and Bella together for a brief moment in time. Will they ever find each other again?
1. A Chance Encounter

Thanks to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway. Eugene and Helga are original and belong to me. Too damn bad I can't make any money off of them.

_Story Description:_ A chance encounter throws Edward and Bella together for a brief moment in time. Will they ever find each other again?

* * *

**SERENDIPITOUS:**** A Chance Encounter (1/?)**

Serendipitous: come upon or found by accident, fortuitous; good; beneficial; favorable

And on a random Saturday, sometime in March…

_And I close my eyes  
And I kiss that frog  
Each time finding the more boys I meet  
The more I love my dog_

_Why can't they be like the ones that mean everything to me  
Warm and loyal, open and friendly?_

_It's not like I'm not trying  
Cause I'll give anyone a shot once..._

Bella sang along to the chorus once more before shutting off the motor and quickly made her way out of the bus. Watching for traffic, she carefully crossed the street and stepped inside the deli. The ride out to the park for her first drop off had taken longer than she had anticipated. Now she had less time to eat breakfast before she had to go back to work. She had been wise enough to call her order in ahead of time.

"Good morning, Bella!" Glancing toward the counter she saw Eugene in his usual place behind the register. "It'll be just a few minutes."

Bella didn't want to keep the riders that were expecting to go to the Farmer's Market waiting for too long. It seemed like it was an unwritten rule in life that when you hit the age of sixty you lost all patience. Even though Bella constantly told the riders that she'd picked them up any time after eight fifteen in the morning, there was always a cranky one complaining that they had been waiting almost an hour for her.

It's not that Bella disliked her part time job at the Senior Center. She actually enjoyed it for various reasons. Her brother Emmett, Director of the Forks Park and Recreation Department, had put in good word for her. The money she made was quite good for a twenty-two year old college student. It was way better than being a waitress where she'd worry about spilling food and tripping over her feet. No, this way, she only had to worry about hitting innocent pedestrians.

She enjoyed her bi-weekly ego trip when she picked up Mr. Gardner. He always got on the bus and would greet her with a warm "Hi, Beautiful!" and a cheery smile. Mr. Wilks was always complimenting her and trying to get her to go to dinner with him. Mrs. Regan told her that she had a wonderful disposition. And in those rare times when Bella was able to work in the afternoon, she would receive tips after helping the riders in with their groceries. All in all, not a bad way for a college student to earn some money.

"Thanks Eugene! I'm starving and I'm running late."

Eugene snickered behind the counter. "Tell me something new, honey. Like you've found a nice man to sink your claws into." He winked and a smile spread across his face.

Bella sighed at his question. At least Eugene wasn't hinting at when she going to give him a grandchild, like Renee had recently started doing. Her mother seriously confused her at times. As a child Renee complained constantly about having to give up her life to rear a child when she became pregnant at eighteen. When Bella had confessed to her mother that she had gotten her period for the first time, Renee ran at the mouth about precautions against teen pregnancy. What twelve-year old wants to hear that? Now, during every phone call from her mother Bella had to tell Renee that she hadn't found 'the one' and she wasn't somehow pregnant. She wouldn't be either unless Immaculate Conception came back into fashion. At this point, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to have any kids.

"I'm thinking about buying a dog. They're more loyal, you know."

"And equally as hard to paper train." Eugene rang up another customer and turned back to Bella.

"Ja! I hear that!" Helga yelled from the griddle. "Eugene, you leave Bella alone about meeting a nice boy. When the one comes along, you'll know it. And when you do, make sure you hog tie him so he doesn't get away!"

Eugene laughed at his wife. "She taped my mouth shut so I couldn't gnaw my way out of the ropes."

"Damn right I did!" Helga proclaimed loudly and it was Bella's turn to laugh. Eugene and Helga were quite the pair. He was originally from China and she from Holland. An odd combination if she ever saw one. But they worked. They clicked. Bella wondered if she'd ever find anyone to click with.

"Sit down and get some coffee, I'll bring your breakfast over to you." Eugene instructed, shooing her away from the counter.

Bella made her way over to the coffee, poured herself a cup and plopped down on a chair. Reaching into her back pocket, Bella withdrew a few dollar bills. She knew exactly how much her breakfast would cost this morning. Eugene placed her meal in front of her and she handed him the money.

"So I can just run out when I'm done," she explained before cutting into her eggs. Her mind wandered back to the conversation with Eugene and Helga. There were times that she had craved someone to click with. It just wasn't happening with anyone in Forks. In High School she had dated some boys but most of the experiences ended bad and left her slightly bitter. One year she had dated Mike and Tyler, both rivals for her affections. The following year Mike and Tyler were caught in the boys' locker room in a compromising position. Last year she attended their commitment ceremony as their Best Woman. They had thanked Bella countless times for bringing them together.

_I don't attract men, I turn them gay._

As she poured some syrup on her French toast she realized someone was trying to speak to her.

"Excuse me?" A smooth, deep male voice interrupted her mindless thoughts. How long had he been standing there, trying to talk to her? "Is this seat taken?"

"No." Bella mumbled through a mouthful of home fries. She knew the seat across from her was the only one available. There were only three small tables and the other two were full. Without looking away from her food, she sipped her coffee before speaking again. "Feel free."

Bella heard the chair scrape against the floor but continued to keep her gaze on her breakfast. She continued to quickly gulp down the rest of the food in front of her. Bella never looked up to see who was sitting across from her. She didn't care. It didn't matter. Bella's right leg bounced up and down in a nervous manner as she tried to think of other things.

"Can you pass the pepper, please?" Bella grabbed the pepper which was on the side of her container of food. Most men she knew would have just reached across the table for it, interrupting her personal space. At least someone around here was a gentleman.

She picked up the pepper shaker and almost knocked over her coffee before handing it over to him. Bella looked up from her food as their fingers brushed. Her eyes shifted toward his face, her leg stopped bouncing nervously and her entire body froze.

It was rude to stare, she knew that. She just couldn't help it. The fluorescent lights of the deli illuminated his hair in such a way she didn't know possible. Who in the world had bronze hair? It wasn't just brown. Not like her boring, flat haystack of a mess that to be constantly held in place with a pony tail. No, it was bronze. A tousled bronze mess of hair that looked like someone had ran their fingers through it during an early morning sex session. Bronze sex hair.

_It must be a dye job. _

His unusually pale complexion seemed even too pale for the cloudy weather in Forks. Then there were his eyes. The piercing emerald orbs were searching her soul. Holy crap… he was beautiful.

_Snap out of it!_

He shook the pepper over the contents of his plate and then set it back on the table. "Are you okay, Miss?"

_I'm just kind of lonely._

He quickly closed the book that had been cracked open on the table. The handsome stranger continued to stare at her. Bella's eyes went to the book he had been reading. _Piano Composing for Dummies._ He didn't look dumb, but what did she know? She gazed at his hands, splayed flat against the cover of the book.

_You can play me anytime. Like a fiddle, a violin, piano, guitar… whatever instrument you know. Play me!_

"Miss?"

His voice was so sexy and she couldn't squeak out a word. Bella continued to stare, searching his face for flaws but she found none. His jaw was strong and perfect. His lips formed a wickedly cute crooked smile.

_Oh God, his lips!_

"Are you okay?" He repeated.

"Guh."

His eyes narrowed and he leaned in towards her. "Are you having a stroke?"

_He thinks you're having a stroke! Form a complete, intelligent sentence and get your ass out of here! Stop embarrassing yourself._

"Uh, sorry."

_That wasn't even remotely a complete sentence. And it sure as hell wasn't intelligent._

Bella dropped her fork into her container and noticed she was done with her meal. She checked her watch and was shocked to learn she was now running later than she thought. "I have to go."

The handsome stranger tried to say something but Bella didn't hear his words. He stared at the table for a moment before his eyes searched for her. She hurried to the garbage can to dispose of her trash and then toward the front door.

"Bye Eugene, I'll see you next Saturday!" Bella yelled toward the register while she was half way out the door.

Eugene didn't have time to answer as Bella continued through the door. She never heard the chair scrape against the floor and the rushed foot steps following slightly behind her. Bella ran to the bus and jumped inside. As she drove away Bella could have sworn she saw a flash of bronze somewhere behind her.


	2. Beautiful & Clumsy

Thanks to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

I must thank everyone who left me comments. I love comments! Please – yes – I'm begging here, if you like the story then leave me at least one comment.

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway. Eugene and Helga are original and belong to me. Too damn bad I can't make any money off of them.

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**SERENDIPITOUS:**** Beautiful + Clumsy (2/?)**

That same random Saturday, sometime in the month of March…

He had been standing off in the corner, near the cold drink cases, when she walked in. Edward had turned around to see who Eugene was making such a fuss over. She was standing by the register speaking and laughing with Eugene and Helga. Edward grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the case and closed the door. He continued to stand there, staring at the girl that Eugene had called Bella. She hadn't turned around yet so he was unable to see her face but still enjoyed the view that he had. Bella looked great in the pair of jeans that fit snugly around her curves. She wore a grey pull over hoodie which looked to be about two sizes too big on her. Her lovely brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

_Edward, face it, you have an unusual thing for brunettes. _

When Bella laughed it brought an unexplainable smile to Edward's face. He was in a trance as she quickly grabbed a cup of coffee and then walked over to a table and sat down. It just wasn't any table she sat at. It was the only table left. The one he was going to sit at.

_Great, now I have to sit at a table with a stranger that I can't stop staring at. _

Edward heard a noise from the griddle and tore his eyes away from Bella to catch Helga watching him. His brow furrowed in confusion as Helga glanced at Bella and then back to him.

_Great, Helga probably thinks I'm some kind of psychotic stalker._

Contemplating his next move, Edward thought that it might be better if he just took his breakfast to go. It was just a quick drive to his parents' house and he could have his meal without his stomach being in knots over a girl. He was sure that was no longer an option. Earlier when he placed his order Eugene had told him they were starting to run short on to go containers. Edward told him that he had no where to go and to just put his food on a plate. He was stuck. He was also divided. There was a part of him wanted to go over to Bella and talk to her. There were times that Edward longed for someone special to enter his life. Then there was that other part of him that was screaming that he didn't need any more complications. He needed to get his life in order and really didn't need a girl in the mix.

Eugene went over to Helga and picked up a container and headed out past the counter, toward Edward. "Your order is up." Before Edward could say anything, Eugene continued in a hushed voice. "Bella's a nice girl, why don't you stop staring and talk to her?"

"Um, thanks Eugene." Edward almost dropped his book at his remark. Edward made his way over to the register and he waited for Eugene. He tried to catch a glimpse of Bella but the potato chip display partially blocked his view. Edward was going to shift his position slightly so he could finally see Bella's face but he swiftly turned around when he heard Helga's voice whispering from behind the counter.

"It's not polite to stare, you know."

Edward's face felt hot as he kept his eyes trained at the register. Helga placed his plate in front of him and Eugene rang his order up. As he waited for his change, Edward nervously ran a hand through is already disheveled hair.

He slowly made his way over to the table and paused when his eyes first landed on Bella. Edward could have sworn his heart beat increased tenfold. He finally remembered to breathe and exhaled through his mouth.

She wasn't a model but then again, he never went for those types. Those types of girls were conceited and had thrown themselves at him in the past. They seemed desperate for attention and too skinny for his taste. He was glad Bella wasn't a model. She was normal. She was attainable. She was approachable.

And at the same time, she was beautiful to him.

Edward nervously headed in her direction and stopped in front of the empty chair. "Excuse me, miss?"

Bella was evidently in a rush, chewing her food fast but lost in thought. She didn't answer him. She didn't even look in his direction.

"Excuse me?" His voice seemed to register with her this time. "Is this seat taken?"

"No." Bella mumbled through a mouthful of food. She quickly sipped her coffee. Her gaze never met his eyes. She continued to stare off into space, toward the coffee counter. "Feel free."

_Okay Eugene, how am I supposed to talk to her if she won't even acknowledge my existence?_

Edward placed his plate, orange juice and book on the table and sat down to join Bella for breakfast. He noticed that, with the exception of their drink, they had ordered the exact same thing. Edward searched for the pepper shaker and found it next to Bella's container.

"Can you pass the pepper, please?" He held back a chuckle when she almost knocked her coffee over while passing him the shaker.

_She was beautiful and clumsy. If only she'd speak to me!_

Her fingers brushed against his and she froze. The contact left his fingers feeling tingly. Did she feel that too? The wish he had asked for was finally answered. He just didn't want it to be this awkward. Bella's bouncing leg stopped instantly as she sat there and stared at him. Her eyes roamed his face slightly but she was still silent.

He broke their eye contact briefly as he shook some pepper over his home fries. He cracked open his book but wasn't able to read any of the words. Taking a bite of his food, he was too easily distracted by the beauty across from him. When he looked at her again her eyes were still trained on him.

_Maybe she's having one of those silent seizures._

"Are you okay, Miss?"

"I'm just kind of lonely."

That's when it hit him. Maybe there was someone else out there that knew exactly how he had been feeling. All this time he had felt so stupid about the emotions that had taken over his life. He wanted to say so many things to her. Mostly that he had known exactly how she felt. That he sympathized with her. She wasn't really alone, no more than he really was.

He had spent the last nine months across the country at Dartmouth. His parents had been so excited that he had been accepted. After all, Dartmouth was still considered a very prestigious Ivy League school. Over one thousand people had applied that year. He was one of the only one hundred and fifty that had been accepted. Not only did that make him feel that he needed to excel to make his parents proud, but that he shouldn't be calling home every day because he was so unimaginably homesick. What was meant to be a next chapter in his life ended up being a dreaded nightmare. At first he had tried to make friends but he was too depressed to really care. He buried himself in school work and became a virtual shut in, withdrawing from everyone and everything that didn't have to do with academics.

Edward considered himself to be very close to his parents and sister. He had never been away from his family or close friends for any long amount of time or distance. It was the distance that was the real factor. It wasn't like he was able to drive for an hour and see them for the weekend. The last time he was able to fly back for a visit was at Christmas break. That seemed like eons ago.

It was during Christmas break that his mother had sensed that something was wrong. Esme noticed that Edward never spoke of having friends or attending any extracurricular activities but rather, would only talk about his classes. She was the one that realized that he had become very introverted and distant. "We won't think any less of you Edward," she told him, soothing his fears of disappointing them, "We want you to be happy. You're welcome to come back home at any time."

He had originally decided to finish the remaining school year and then move back to Washington. Then his mind was set on just finishing the remaining semester. But soon, it all had become too much. He needed to get the hell out of New Hampshire as fast as possible. He packed up his belongings, informed the college of his decision and booked the next flight he could get. His flight landed at midnight in Washington. Not wanting to interrupt his family, he slept at the airport that night. He called the house early the next morning and asked if someone could pick him up from the airport.

His sister arrived twenty minutes later, running into his arms for a hug, proclaiming, "I knew you'd be back soon enough!" It was like she was psychic.

Edward had tried to apologize to his father about losing money because of him. Carlisle told him that it didn't matter. Edward's mental health and well being was far more important. However, he still felt like he had disappointed his parents more than himself.

He closed his book and laid his hands across the cover. "I know how you feel."

Bella's eyes were roaming the cover of his book. _Piano Composing for Dummies_. He knew he shouldn't have brought it into the deli. He always thought that his love of classical piano music made him look like a geek. No wonder she didn't want to talk to him.

"I'm kind of lonely too." He spoke without caution.

_Please say something. Please. Anything. I just told you something I was too ashamed to tell my own family. _

"Miss?" Her eyes now roamed his face. "Are you okay?"

"Guh."

"Are you having a stroke?"

_You idiot! Why the hell did you say that for?_

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink. It was so utterly adorable.

"Uh, sorry." Bella dropped her fork and turned her wrist to check her watch. Jumping out of her seat, she grabbed her container and hurried to the garbage can. Edward panicked as she neared the front door.

_No, don't leave! _

His heart sank. She was leaving and he might never see her again.

"Bye Eugene, I'll see you next Saturday!" She yelled toward the register while halfway out the door.

Edward bolted from his chair and hurried outside. Panic overtook him. He couldn't let her leave like that. Bella was opening the door to a white shuttle bus parked across the street. He started out into the street when a car horn ripped through the air. Edward jumped back onto the sidewalk as a stream of traffic continued to go by. It felt like his heart was being pulled out of his chest as he realized he wasn't able to stop her. Bella closed the door to the bus, started the engine and pulled away. Edward stared at the capitalized black letters that were stenciled across the side of the bus.

_Forks Senior Center._

Defeated, he re-entered the deli and slowly headed back to the table. He ran his fingers through his hair, questioning his next move. What next move? He just let Bella slip through his fingers. He realized he wasn't alone but the person across from him wasn't the one he wanted it to be.

"Yes, Helga?"

"Do you know where the Forks Senior Center is?" she asked him with a sly smile.

He didn't have the slightest clue. Maybe his grandmother would know. "No, I don't."

Helga leaned across the table, toward Edward and spoke slowly, hoping what she had to say would sink in. She knew there were times that men could be really dense. "5th Avenue," She stated simply and then repeated, "5th Avenue."

Edward smiled and nodded his head. "5th Avenue."

"You're a smart young man."

"Thanks, Helga." He said with a grin and a new ray of hope.

Eugene's voice chimed in from behind Edward. "If you break her heart I'll happily watch as Helga breaks your legs!"

"Ja." Helga said with a nod of her head.

"I don't doubt it." He didn't want to hurt Bella. He just wanted to get to know her better. He needed to know why he felt an undeniable pull toward her. "I don't intend to hurt her, Helga."

Helga rose from her seat and stood behind the chair. "Good luck, Edward." He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Edward gazed down at his food. His stomach was doing flip flops. There was no way that he could finish his food now. He threw his remaining breakfast away and headed toward the door.

Eugene's words made him pause in the doorway. "They might make a nice couple."

He knew Eugene didn't mean for him to hear his statement but smiled anyway. Stepping out into the sidewalk, he stared in the direction that the bus had headed off to earlier.

Edward was absolutely positive about three things. First, the beautiful and clumsy girl's name was Bella. Secondly, she worked for the Forks Senior Center on 5th Avenue. And third, he had to see her again.


	3. Crazy Dreams

Thanks to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

Thanks again to everyone that has commented. The more comments I get the more I want to write!

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway. Eugene and Helga are original and belong to me. Too damn bad I can't make any money off of them.

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**SERENDIPITOUS:**** Crazy Dreams (3/?)**

Monday

'_Hello you long shots  
You dark horse runners  
Hairbrush singers  
Dashboard drummers  
Hello you wild magnolias just waiting to bloom  
There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you  
Thank God even crazy dreams come true…'_

Bella lightly hit her head against the steering wheel.

_You moron, you're going to give yourself brain damage by doing that._

She was in the shuttle bus, parked up at Tilicum Park, waiting in between pick ups. Turning off the radio, she removed the key from the ignition and hopped out of the bus. She slammed the door behind her with such an unnecessary force it made her stumble.

It was one of those rare afternoons that she wasn't in class or busy with school work and could earn some money. It was just her luck that it also happened to be a very slow day for the bus. She wasn't being kept busy enough and her mind kept racing back to thoughts of him. Hell, she didn't even know his name.

_The Bronze Sex Hair Guy. _

She mostly referred to him as 'Sex Hair' for short. The other night she had dreamed that she was running her hands through his hair. He was doing all kinds of unspeakable things to her. When he… came up for air, as she'd like to put it, it wasn't Sex Hair that she saw. Instead, his face alternated between Mike and Tyler's.

Talk about a downer. Her well intentioned sex dream turned into a nightmare.

Stuffing the keys to the bus into a pocket in her jeans, Bella made her way over to a swing and sat down. She pulled her cell phone out of her jacket and dialed.

"Hey Bella!"

"Alice!" She pleaded into the phone, "I need you!"

"Honey, unless you've suddenly grown a dick-"

"Alice!"

"You know your human gay stick doesn't work on me-"

"Alice!"

"I love you and everything, but just as a friend."

Bella sighed into the receiver. "Are you finished with your little tirade?"

"Wait, wait, I saw Jacob Black the other day." Alice giggled uncontrollably.

"What does that have to do with me?" Bella rolled her eyes. Her sneakered feet dug into the sand beneath the swing.

"It looks like he was hit with an ugly stick." Alice tried to hold back her laughter but failed miserably.

"Great!" Bella declared. "Now I'm also a human ugly stick, is that what you're trying to say?"

Alice chortled. "You were the last known person that he expressed interest in!"

"He was a controlling, manipulative, self absorbed _boy_." She made sure to emphasis _boy_ because not only was Jacob younger than Bella, but he wasn't mature. They had first met each other when they were much younger. Jacob and Bella's fathers had been friends for as long as Bella could remember. She wasn't even sure how they met considering the Black's lived in La Push which was located near the coast.

After their parents divorced, Bella and Emmett had moved with their mother to Phoenix when she was ten. When Renee remarried two years later, she had decided to move to Florida. More than anything, the move was based on her new husband's so-called career as an aging ball player. Even though they were young, the siblings knew that Renee needed time alone with Phil. It didn't help matters that Bella and Emmett sensed Phil's dislike of them. They moved back to Bremerton, Washington to be with their father.

Emmett had it easy. Charlie knew how to deal with Emmett. When it came to Bella he was totally clueless. Her father didn't know how to deal with females, let alone a little emotional one that was growing into a young adult. She kept her feelings bottled up and most of the time felt like an outsider in her own house. It wasn't easy living with two clueless men.

Last year Charlie got a job offer but it involved a move for the family. Back in Bremerton he had been a Deputy Chief for several years. The police force was much bigger and it didn't look like Charlie would get the promotion that he wanted or so richly deserved. He had started looking around for a position in nearby towns and the Mayor of Forks contacted him directly. The Chief of the police force wanted to retire but also had a need to find the best replacement to serve their small city. What Bella considered a demotion, Charlie had considered a promotion. A few weeks later not only were they moving to Forks but Emmett had secured himself a job with the city as well. They went from being in a town of almost forty thousand people to just over three thousand. Charlie was now Chief of Police almost three hours west of Bremerton in the extremely small city of Forks, Washington.

"Yeah, well, that _boy_ who, by the way, used to be slightly cute, looks like a dog now!"

Since La Push was only forty five minutes away, Jacob and his father, Billy, had visited Charlie not long after their move. Jacob had instantly become smitten with Bella. Charlie tried to encourage her but Bella didn't like Jacob's controlling and manipulative manner toward her. He almost flew into a jealous rage at the mere mention of her speaking to another boy. It was too much for her and she had to tell him to leave her alone.

Bella lips formed a smile and she laughed out loud. "Alice, you're too much."

This town, where nothing exciting ever happened and all it seemed to do was rain, was where Bella finally made a friend she could count on. They had met in a class at the satellite branch of Peninsula College in Forks. Six months later their friendship was going strong. They often talked about going out on their own and finding an apartment for just the two of them. Bella never thought Alice was serious about the prospect. She knew Alice's family had money and that was why Alice had started to dabble in every major that was available. Before all was said and done, Bella was sure that Alice would take every single class that Peninsula College had to offer. She was certain that Alice didn't know what she wanted to do with her life anymore than she did.

Because they were both busy – Bella with work and her part-time class schedule and Alice with all her classes and extra activities – they didn't see each other as much as she'd like.

"What's up Bella, Bella Fro Frella?"

"I need girl time." Bella rocked herself in the wrong direction on the swing. It was safer this way. She was less liable to fall off the swing if her feet never left the ground.

"I haven't grown a dick-"

Bella interrupted Alice before she started on another tirade. "Quit it."

"What's this about?" Her voice was full of concern. "I might not be able to squeeze you in for a few days."

"Great." How could she explain that she couldn't stop thinking about a stranger she couldn't form a coherent sentence to? "I met someone the other day."

"Ooooh, what's his name?" Alice squealed in delight.

"I have no idea."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bella?"

She went on to explain how Sex Hair had sat with her on Saturday morning. Bella tried to describe his features but was at a loss for words over how beautiful he was. While she tried to explain Sex Hair, and failed miserably, Bella left out the fact that she was dressed horribly. A random thought came to her mind – maybe he wouldn't recognize her and she could make a better second impression. Bella had ran out of the house that morning wearing almost no make-up, a pair of beat up sneakers, old jeans and a hoodie that belonged to Emmett when he was a freshman in high school. Alice would have a conniption fit if she knew that Bella looked like 'death warmed over' and a cute guy was in the vicinity. She did tell Alice how she was left speechless and acted like an idiot over his presence. How she couldn't form one full and complete coherent sentence. Then she remembered the feeling of when her fingers brushed hers.

"I passed him the pepper shaker and when my fingers accidentally touched his, I got all tingly." The feeling was something that she had never felt before with anyone else.

"You've never seen him in town before?" Alice questioned.

"No, oh, do you think he was just passing through?" Bella worried.

Alice stifled a laugh. "Who the hell just passes through Forks? Listen, I'm going to lose my signal for a bit very soon. I'm heading to Seattle. I have no idea who Sex Hair is either. You want my advice?"

"Yes, very much." Bella hoped Alice wouldn't lose her signal yet.

"Keep your eyes peeled."

"That's all?" Bella started to hear static over the line.

"You know that tingle might mean something! If you ever see him again you can find out if he's an asshole or not. I'm losing you, Bella. Keep your-"

The call was disconnected and Bella stuffed her phone back into her jacket. Knowing what Alice was going to say, Bella was going to keep her eyes peeled. She drove part-time for a living. When she was working she could scan the streets for Sex Hair.

_This might work. What will do if you ever see him again?_

"Jump his bones." She answered herself out loud. "Kidding, kidding!"

Bella jumped off the swing and headed back toward the bus. Powering on the CD player, it roared back to life and continued on with the song she had been listening to.

'_I've stood at the bottom of some walls I thought I couldn't climb  
I've felt like Cinderella at the ball just runnin' out of time  
So I know how it feels to be afraid  
To think that it's all gonna slip away  
Hold on, hold on'_

Bella wanted to find her Prince like Cinderella did. But this was real life and not a fairy tale. She didn't even know what her potential Prince's name was. Bella did know that she was tired of kissing frogs like Mike and Tyler.

"I dub thee Princess Sex Hair." Bella chuckled.

'_Thank God even crazy dreams come true…'_


	4. No Like Hulk

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Please be aware that the following chapter has a little lemon in the first paragraph. I'm telling you where it is so you can skip over it, if you wish. Though, I don't know why anyone would want to!

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

Also, a great big thanks and hugs to all of you that have posted reviews and comments for me.

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway. Eugene and Helga are original and belong to me. Too damn bad I can't make any money off of them.

**SERENDIPITOUS:**** No Like Hulk (4/?)**

Wednesday

He bit his own lip as he felt his breathing getting ragged. Staring at the breathtaking beauty in front of him, he wished this moment could last forever. Bella slowly made her way to him and straddled one of his legs. Edward decided to try his luck again seeing that her breasts were so close to his face once more. He turned and captured a nipple in his mouth. Hearing her moan and not move away, he rolled his tongue around the tip. As he went to find the other taunt nub, his mouth came into contact with hers. Her tongue traced his lips before diving into his mouth. Edward threw his head back as Bella broke away and trailed kisses down his neck. She continued lower down his chest and to his stomach. Looking down, Edward saw Bella on the floor between his legs. Unbuttoning his jeans, Bella had the zipper in her mouth and was slowly unzipping them. Her job done, she struggled to get the jeans and boxers off his body until her mission was complete.

_I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,  
__They have builded Him an alter in the evening dews and damp,  
__I can read His righteous sentence by the time and flaring lamps,  
__His day is marching on_

_Glory, glory hallelujah  
__His day is marching on_

Edward reached for his cell phone in the passenger seat. "Jazz, seriously, I could kill you right now." Edward sighed and his head fell back into the head rest of his car seat. Outside a brisk wind blew, adding a slight chill to an otherwise unusual and sunny warm day in Forks. He rested his arm on the rolled down window and deeply inhaled the fresh air from outside.

"What did I do now?" Confused, Jasper questioned the man that he considered his best friend. The two of them had met a few months before Edward had left for Dartmouth. Edward never knew that Jasper sensed his real reason for returning home.

"I was just sitting up at Tilicum Park having a sex daydream," he stated matter-of-factly. "Your _Battle Hymn of the Republic_ ring tone doesn't exactly match well with my fore mentioned distraction."

"Bow chica wow wow." Jasper intimated the noise from an old sex movie. "We were rudely interrupted by Rosalie the last time when you were trying to tell me about _her_. You know her name and where she works, right?"

Edward nodded. "That's right. Her name is Bella and she works at the Forks Senior Center."

"Bella? Her name is Bella? Really? That's cool. I like that name. I don't know what she looks like but her name just makes her sound cute." Jasper sounded a bit giddy over the phone. His eyes were probably glazed over at the mention of her name.

"She's beautiful, Jazz." He went on to describe Bella's matching chocolate brown eyes and hair. How her jeans cupped her butt in just the perfect way. He described her full, pink lips and the cute way she couldn't spit out more than a few words. The clumsiness she seemed to inhibit. "I met her on Saturday and I can't get her out of my mind. I'm imagining her naked!"

"Go to the Senior Center, find her and introduce yourself."

Edward shook his head in amusement. It didn't seem like Jasper was taking this seriously. "If you met someone, just by chance, and they showed up at your job, wouldn't you be a bit freaked out?"

"It might be your only chance. You go and talk to her." Jasper insisted. "If she thinks you're some freaky stalker or she's not interested, then you leave."

"And if she's not totally appalled at the idea of me tracking her down?" Edward questioned, still wondering if he should actually listen to him.

"You go on a few dates, maybe get yourself a girlfriend and perhaps someone to share your life with." He smirked. "Would that be so horrible?"

Edward paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's the worse that could happen?"

"You get to meet Chief Swan and he slaps your stalker ass with a restraining order." Jasper heard Edward groan. "What? You asked."

"Thanks, Jazz." He replied sarcastically. "I needed that."

"Stop being a pussy and go and find Bella!"

Edward really did feel like he was a stalker now. On Jasper's advice he had found the Senior Center on 5th Avenue. He had sat in the parking lot across the street, waiting for any sign of Bella. The Center must have closed early because the only vehicle in the lot was a beat up, rusty old red Chevy pick up truck. It was something that his Grandmother probably rode in during her youth. Bella wouldn't have a vehicle like that, would she? The truck looked undependable and ready to break down at any minute. It'd be lucky to get up to forty miles an hour. Would her parents really let a girl her age have something that could be that unreliable?

_Don't be a snob, not all of us have parents that have done well for themselves._

He aimlessly drove around town, hoping to catch even the fainted glimpse of Bella. He was getting discouraged and found himself back at Tilicum Park. Backing up into a spot, Edward turned off the engine to his silver Volvo. He got out of his car and sat on the front of the hood. Pushing up the sleeves of his blue tight fitting shirt, Edward scanned the small crowd that had ascended the park. He watched as parents pushed their young children on the swings. A family of geese crossed the street. An older sibling caught a younger one as they slid down the twisty slide. Bella wrapped her arms around a monstrous man the size of a line backer…

What?!

Bella was with a man two or three times the size of Edward. He had short, curly dark hair. Edward wouldn't be surprised if in the past he had painted himself green and went as the Hulk to a Halloween party. Hulk was smiling and laughing at whatever Bella had said to him.

_Edward no like Hulk._

He stared at the ground and then closed his eyes.

_Please, let my eyes be lying to me. _

Edward slowly opened his eyes and found Bella. And there was Hulk, a few inches away and now he was making her laugh. They walked over to a garbage can where Hulk removed the liner and replaced it with another one. He led them over to a small green dump truck that belonged to the Forks Parks and Recreation Department. Hulk helped Bella into the passenger side, threw the garbage into the back and then got into the truck himself.

Edward sighed and sluggishly got back into his car. His eyes followed the truck as it went past and he could hear her laughing again. It was like music to his ears. Now it was going to haunt him.

Of course she'd have a boyfriend. He was stupid to think otherwise.

Edward started his car and headed off into the opposite direction.

-- -- -- --

"Emmett," Bella craned her neck up to look at her brother. "Thanks for letting me keep you company while my truck is getting fixed." She did her best attempt at giving Emmett a hug but her arms stopped being able to completely embrace him years ago.

"No problem, sis." He ruffled the hair on the top of her head. One part of Emmett's job was to cover for employees in his department. This afternoon Bella had accompanied him while he picked up garbage from the public trash cans and the park. The battery in her truck had somehow lost its charge while sitting at her job. "I have just one more bag to get. I think Dad should be done putting the new battery in your truck now."

"It's killing you that you didn't have time to put it in, isn't it?"

Emmett pretended to clutch his chest. "You don't know how much." He stopped at the garbage can and removed the bag. While he put a new bag in the can, he could have sworn a man was staring at them from the parking lot. He blew it off. Emmett helped Bella into the passenger side and then went to the back of the truck. He threw the garbage in the back and looked to see if the man was still watching them. Satisfied with the fact that he didn't seem to be, Emmett entered the driver's side.

A few seconds later, Bella was laughing at another lame joke he had made when she screamed. "Wait! Stop! Go back!"

Emmett slammed on the brakes, glad that no one was behind them. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Back up so I can see the parking lot." She was turned half way in the seat, facing the park, straining her neck. "Please!"

Emmett carefully reversed the truck about thirty feet until they were across from the parking lot and her face fell. Bella turned back around in her seat. "I'm sorry, Emmett. I thought I saw someone." She explained, suddenly sad.

Bella sat and stared quietly out the window. She knew that Emmett could tell something was wrong, but she was grateful he decided to leave her alone. Her imagination must be working over time because she could have sworn that she saw Sex Hair in the parking lot. He was gone just as quickly as she had seen him.


	5. Tampon Staring Nutcase

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

Also, a great big thanks and hugs to all of you that have posted reviews and comments for me.

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway.

* * *

**SERENDIPITOUS:**** Tampon Staring Nutcase (5/?)**

THURSDAY

Bella sat with her legs crossed on the stone wall. Frustrated, she stuffed her phone back into her jacket pocket. Alice was still away and she needed someone to talk to. Not her father. Not her brother. She needed a fellow female, someone that might understand her, to talk to. You can't talk about men to men. Not unless you talked to gay men. And she didn't want to deal with Mike and Tyler.

Grabbing her bag that was lying next to her, Bella got up and started down the sidewalk. Her truck was parked on the second level, away from the main buildings of the small college campus. The silence of the afternoon was suddenly permeated with a series of loud grunts and thuds. She looked across the road and saw three people by the racquetball wall, two of them smacking the ball off of it.

Racquetball was one sport that terrified her. It was worse than dodge ball in her book. In dodge ball you could get hit in the face. The ball only went so fast. In racquetball you could get knocked out or break a tooth. That little ball flew like a son of a bitch. Bella was almost stuck with having to take Racquetball one semester. She was so afraid she'd get stuck in a class with competitive idiots and not someone like Alice who would just play for fun. It'd be fine if she could just play with someone normal who didn't aim to break her nose or god forbid, win the match. Bella was overjoyed when a last minute opening in a walking class opened up. She grabbed it right away.

Bella watched the two blondes, one of each sex, on the court as they quickly made their way across the court. They had hit the ball back and forth between them and the wall for a good two minutes now. Bella would be lucky if she made it for an entire fifteen seconds. The male with shaggy blonde hair dove to the pavement in a failed attempt to hit the ball but missed. The girl, a tall, blonde leggy goddess cheered and ran over to the nearby bleachers. She jumped onto the lap of…

Sex Hair!

A small whimper escaped Bella's lips as she watched the girl jump into Sex Hair's lap and hug him. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

Bella's attention was snapped away from the three as her phone rang. Checking the caller id, she flipped the phone open and skipped the standard greeting. "I've been so stupid, Alice." She looked back over at the racquetball court. The girl was no longer on Sex Hair's lap but sitting next to him. The other man had joined them and the three of them were talking. "I should have known that Sex Hair has a girlfriend."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Jasper threw his and Rosalie's racquet into the back of her shiny red convertible. "Did you ever catch up with Bella?"

"Bella?" Rosalie questioned them both. "Who's Bella? Does Edward have a girlfriend?" She pronounced _girlfriend_ like she was singing it. That annoying sing song voice little boys use to tease girls they secretly like.

"I thought I was saving myself for you, Rose." Edward smiled and attempted to bat his eyelashes at her. It was usually very easy to change the subject of any conversation to Rosalie.

"Edward… honey, baby doll, sweetie, honey bunch, sugar pop… you're not my type." Her nose was scrunched up at him. "You know I like my muscle bound men. You just don't fill the bill for me, dear. I _love_ you but I'm not _in love_ with you. We have to find you a woman of your own."

"Where have we heard that speech before?" Jasper asked, rocking back on his heels. He was trying not to laugh.

"When ever a man hits on Rose…" Edward began.

"…who is not up to her standards…" Jasper continued.

"….there will be that speech to the poor son of a bitch who is stupid enough to hit on our dear Rose." Edward finished, holding back a laugh.

"Bastards. You're both a bunch of bastards." She eyed them up and down, trying not to laugh herself. "Get in the damn car before you I leave you both here."

They both obliged, entering the car quickly before Rose made a fuss and left without them. "Who's Bella?" Rose asked again as she roared the engine to life.

"Someone I met." Edward answered flatly.

Rose paused at the stop sign and turned around to the back seat to glance at Edward. She rolled her eyes. "Duh." She turned out of the parking lot and into the road, headed to her and Jaspers apartment.

"Wait, I'll translate! What Rose so eloquently meant to say was," Jasper smiled before continuing. "No shit Sherlock, spill the beans."

"Thanks, bro."

Edward leaned forward and spilled the beans. He told Rose all about Bella. Every single little detail that he knew. Which, let's face it, wasn't much. He explained how he met her. How he couldn't get Bella off his mind. How he craved to see her again. Edward also included seeing her with Mr. Linebacker.

"You're a complete and utter moron, you know that, Edward?" Rosalie exclaimed as she pulled into their driveway. "Go find her!"

This wasn't what Edward was expecting to hear from Rosalie. She wasn't the one with her head in the clouds. She didn't believe in love at first sight. If she was thrown into the same situation, she would be telling Edward that she was glad she avoided the heartache. Now, she was telling him to go and hunt Bella down. Could it be? Rose was growing a heart!

Rosalie parked the car and turned around in her seat. "How do you know that it was her boyfriend? Maybe he's just a friend!"

"She's gotcha--" Jasper started but was cut off by his sister who was raving like a lunatic.

"You won't find closure unless you get some answers."

_Shit, she had a point there._

"Edward, find her, introduce yourself and if Mr. Linebacker is her boyfriend, then so be it. You know all the facts. You won't always be wondering 'what if' or 'why didn't I'." Rose paused for a quick intake of air. "And if by some miracle the Linebacker isn't hers, than pass my number to him for good measure."

"That's Rose for you." Jasper chortled from the passenger seat. "That's my sister for you! Always looking out for number one while giving advice to number three!"

"Who the hell said you were number two, ding bat?" Rose huffed at her twin and turned to Edward. "Go find Bella!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

After a long heart to heart with Rose, during which some profanities were issued, mostly by Rose, Edward decided that she was right. It hurt to admit that too. He had to see this through until the end. No matter what the end would be. Edward had been so upset at seeing Bella with another man that he never even thought Line Backer could be a simple friend. He had jumped to conclusions because deep down, he was afraid to get to know Bella.

_Linebacker just has to be a friend. Oh, please, let it be. Like a distant cousin or other relation. Someone that wouldn't get in the way of Edward getting to know Bella._

By the time Rose's lecture ended, Edward knew that the Senior Center was closed for the day. Rose should officiate weddings since she could talk such a long streak. Tomorrow was another day and he'd think of something. A growl from Edward's stomach reminded him that it was dinner time. His parents and sister were away for a few days. Not feeling like cooking for himself, he shrugged on his jacket and headed to his car.

He drove mindlessly to the deli. Since Eugene and Helga owned it, he was sure that one of them was bound to be inside. He secretly hoped that there was a mad rush inside and that they would be too busy to talk to him.

Edward looked around the nearly empty parking lot.

_Shit_.

Edward stepped inside and the floor boards by the door creaked. There was no getting out of here now.

The voice came from behind the counter, clear as ever, with hardly any trace of an accent. "Edward, how are you doing? What can I get for you tonight?" Eugene asked cheerily.

"How's your Monte Cristo?"

"The finest Monte Cristo in Forks!" He boasted proudly. It wasn't much of a boast. There was only one other deli currently operating in the town. Edward never frequented that other little hole in the wall and Eugene knew it.

"You've talked me into it."

Eugene was about to say something else when the floor boards by the door squeaked. Edward turned curiously to see who else was venturing out tonight.

_Shit._

_Crap._

_Shit._

_Crap._

_Shit, shit, shit._

_The Linebacker._

"Hey Emmett, my main man, how you doing?" Eugene reached across the counter to shake Emmett's hand. "Are you here to keep me in business tonight?"

"Aw, Eugene, quit it." Edward realized he was staring at Emmett and was never so grateful that the deli was also a convenience store. Not even knowing what he was staring at, he turned his head and pretended to be examining some items on the shelf next to him. He could have been looking at boxes of tampons for all he knew. "Bella's busy working on a paper for school tonight. I told her I'd catch dinner for us. Three chicken parm specials!"

"Are you buying for your dad too?" Eugene passed a slip of paper with the two orders on it over to the cook.

Emmett shook his head. Edward thought he felt earthquake tremors. "Naw. The ol' chief is busy at the station house tonight. They're ordering in, you know, probably from here. You damn well know two of those suckers are for me, Eug!"

Eugene wasn't finished with his inquisition. "How's your sister doing?"

"Bella's doing good, thanks."

Edward tried to remain calm and composed while on the inside he was jumping up and down like a happy lunatic.

_Sister! Oh, thank you lord almighty there is a god in heaven! He's her brother! Happy dance!_

He bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. He wasn't sure if it was working.

_Brother, brother, he's her brother… sing it with me now… brother, not like a boyfriend, the linebacker is her brother! Shit, I have a crappy singing voice!_

Eugene's voice broke through his happy thoughts. "Edward, your order is up."

_I'm giddy, I'm giddy… I know what it feels like to be giddy. Shit, it's a great fuckin' feelin'. I don't know how to tap dance but if I did I would right out in that parking lot. That's how happy I am right now._

Edward paid Eugene for his order and left in a rush, never fully realizing how big the smile plastered on his face was. He had a little dance to his step in the parking lot.

xXxXxXxXxXx

_What the hell is it with that guy? He's standing there looking at a shelf full of tampons. He looks familiar. Wait, isn't that the guy at the park that I thought was looking at Bella and me? I thought he was checking out Bella. Maybe he's checking out me. The entire tampon staring routine has me all confused now. Maybe he has both organs… or… I dunno. _

_Its weirdo's like that guy that make me glad I don't have to worry about Bella. She hasn't dated much recently. Maybe I shouldn't be happy about that. I want her to be happy._

_I just don't want tampon staring nutcases like that Edward hanging around her. _

xXxXxXxXxXx

_I saw how Edward acted when he learned Emmett was Bella's brother. He was surprised and happy._

_This matchmaking business is for the birds._

_The next time Edward and Bella are here I'm just locking them in the freezer! I'll turn it off first of course. It might be the only way I can get them to talk to one another. I wonder if I should get an oxygen tank for them?_

_Uh, Edward, stare at something else besides the tampons. Oh, for the love of god, you're just looking at the plus ones now!_

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for sticking with me so far, please hold on for the next chapter! I know I got a little silly in this chapter but I hope you still liked it. I love writing a mix of romantic comedy.


	6. Finally

Thanks as always to my wonderful beta thebeckert over at LiveJournal.

**Disclaimer:** I must thank Stephenie Meyer for letting me borrow and play with her characters. Not that she ever gave any of us any permission, but I must thank her anyway.

Check out my profile for some useless but perhaps interesting info on the background of _Serendipitous_. You'll find out why Bella works at a Senior Center and some information about Forks.

* * *

**SERENDIPITOUS:**** Finally (6/?)**

FRIDAY

The clock on the dash turned over to 9:00 am. Edward removed the key from the ignition and sighed heavily. He was parked outside of the Senior Center, gearing up his nerve to go inside. He couldn't just sit outside all day waiting for Bella. If she wasn't inside then what would he do? Continue to sit outside like a stalker? Maybe someone would be willing to take a message for her. What kind of message would he leave?

_I can't get you out of my mind since I sat with you at the deli, please call me._

The deli! Edward remembered that Bella said she'd be in again on Saturday. Would she be there the same time? If he didn't manage to see her today, he'd have to have a little talk with Eugene. After all, he and Helga had encouraged him to seek out Bella.

The Center opened at 8:00 am and that's when he wanted to be here. However, his sister had other plans for him. She got back into town last night and insisted they have breakfast this morning. She was pushy when she wanted her way. Edward tried to explain that he had some place that he needed to be, but she brushed him off. "Whatever it is, it can wait for an hour for your sister!" she pouted with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Bossy little pixie.

Edward slowly made his way out of his car and went to the front door. Smiling, he held the door open for an elderly woman whose arms were full of art supplies.

"Thank you, young man!" she beamed at him. "It's so nice to see the younger population mingling with us. Are you here to help Bella out with the craft class too?"

"I'm here to look into volunteering." It was a lie, but it was the first convincing thing that he could think of to say.

"Oh, isn't that nice!"

Edward cut woman off as politely as possible. "Where's Bella?"

"She's right in the main room at the tables in the corner. You can't miss her." she supplied.

He wished the woman a nice day and then closed the door behind him. At that moment, Edward felt like he could have been knocked over by a feather. He was excited, and yet also deeply nervous to see Bella again. What if she didn't want to see him? He had to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. He was excited and nervous at the same time. His stomach was in knots as he stepped inside the Center. To his left there were couches arranged in a square. Next to the couches, a group of women were line dancing to some country music that was playing through a sound system. Past the dance area, a kitchen could be seen.

Edward's eyes wandered to the right and saw four rectangular tables set up end to end. His heart beat started to race a little fast as he realized that this must be the main room. His eyes roamed the room, searching for the woman who had consumed his thoughts for almost a week. He found Bella as she sat with a group of older women. There were craft supplies strewn all over the table. He froze and watched as she was laughed at something he couldn't hear.

_God, she is beautiful._

Her eyes landed on him from across the room and he took a silent moment to watch as she laughed at something he couldn't hear.

"Here goes nothing," Edward mumbled to himself as he made his way across the room, which suddenly felt bigger than it was.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Oh no, Bella, what do I do?" Alice asked frantically. "Gloria superglued her fingers together! What do I do?"

"Gloria, what did you do that for?!" Bella moaned. "Alice, calm down!"

"I didn't mean to glue my fingers together!" Gloria exclaimed.

Bella laughed as she watched Alice try to pry Gloria's fingers apart. It wasn't Alice's idea for her to visit the Center. For one of their college courses they needed to do some volunteer work helping the elderly. Bella didn't mind spending extra time at the Center as a volunteer in addition to her paid hours. Alice was vehemently opposed to working at the soup kitchen or the hospital. Bella had suggested that she help out at the Center to earn her course credit. She was beginning to regret her suggestion.

"Alice, take Gloria up to the office. Jodi keeps some nail polish remover in her desk for these special occasions like these," Bella explained.

"Come on, Gloria. You'll have to lean on me because you can't use your cane since you _glued_ your fingers together." Alice was annoyed and felt like she was a babysitter at this very moment.

"Shut up, dear, and lead the way." Gloria wasn't going to put up with any of Alice's attitude.

Bella could hear Alice grumbling about 'old people' as she walked away with Gloria. The other ladies at the table shook their heads at the situation before getting back to work on their projects. Bella watched as Alice and Gloria continued up the ramp, bickering the entire way. She couldn't help but laugh out loud when something across the room caught her eye.

_Sex Hair was in the building! And he's looking right at you, heading your way!_

_Run, run! There's a back door right behind you. You can make a mad dash to it. No, wait, it's locked and you don't have your set of keys to the building with you. Crap, you're staring and he's almost to you. Do something, you moron! You wanted to talk to him and now it's time. Stop acting like a chicken and talk to him!_

Without thinking, Bella got up from her chair and made her way over to Sex Hair, meeting him in the middle of the room.

"Um, hi, are you lost? This is the Senior Center."

He smiled. "No, I found exactly what I've been looking for. I've been searching for you, Bella."

Bella gasped and stuttered. "Mm… me? Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I overheard Eugene say your name last Saturday at the deli." Edwards green eyes were sparkling nervously at her. "I've been looking for you all week."

Bella was speechless so Edward continued. "Look, I know this must sound like the dumbest thing you've ever heard. We barely even talked at the deli. There was something about you… I had to find you again. I want to get to know you, if you'll let me."

"I've been on the lookout for you all week, too." Bella replied weakly. "I don't even know your name."

He held out his hand toward her and she took it. Those little shocks of electricity that Bella felt last time they touched turned into sharp jolts that ran up her entire arm. "I'm Edward." He didn't let go of her hand. His thumb lazily caressed it.

"I'm Bella."

Edward smiled an adorable crooked smile. "I know, remember?"

Bella cheeks felt warm and she knew that she was blushing. "Oh duh, yeah….I'd like to get to know you, too."

"Bella! Gloria is unglued! Hey, big bro, whatcha doin' here?" Alice's voice interrupted Bella and Edward. Alice made her way over to them and engulfed Edward in a hug. He didn't let go of Bella's hand. "What are you two doing holding hands?"

"Brother? He's your brother? Edward is your brother?" Bella stared wide-eyed at the siblings.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Edward questioned while running his other hand through his hair.

"Best buds for the last six months!" Alice bounced up and down. "What about you two? I didn't forget that you're still holding hands. When the hell did the two of you meet before?"

"We met last weekend." Bella said shyly, biting her lip.

Her head quickly bobbed back and fourth between the two of them. Then it dawned on her. ".God. Edward is Sex Hair, isn't he?"

"Alice!" Bella yelled, embarrassed.

Edward lightly squeezed Bella's hand to get her attention. It worked – she gazed in his direction – and then nervously dropped her head and stared at the floor. "Sex Hair?"

"Um, yeah, he's Sex Hair." She heard Edward starting to laugh and looked at him. "What? I didn't know your name. I mean, come on, look at your hair! It looks as if you just rolled out of bed after a long night of… you know."

He tried to smooth his hair back down but it just popped back up. "You have a point there."

"I'm sorry, Bells," Alice snickered. "I never thought of Edward when you described Sex Hair. He's my brother, I don't think of him that way, you know?"

"Thank God!" Edward muttered and squeezed Bella's hand.

"I think I'll leave you two alone so you can get to know one another." She turned and high tailed it back to the craft tables to help clean up.

"I'm not going to get you in trouble for interrupting your work am I?" Edward pulled on her hand slightly and Bella stepped closer to him.

"We're pretty laid back here. If they really need me for anything they'll get me," she explained and led them over to a piano bench in the corner.

Edward reluctantly let go of Bella's hand as they sat down and immediately missed the contact. He opened the lid of the piano keys and pressed down a single key. The note came out warbled. "It really needs to be tuned."

"Do you play?" Bella reached out and touched Edward's knee. "I love the sound of the piano."

"I do play, but I fear that anything played on this wouldn't sound very good at all."

"Play for me?" Bella lips formed into a pout. "Just a little bit?"

"I warned you." Edward turned and placed his fingers over the keys. "Here goes nothing." He played for only a minute - a tune Bella didn't recognize - but she knew, with only a preview on an old, out of tune piano, that she wanted to hear him play more.

"That was great!" She said enthusiastically and clapped. "We'll have to find a better piano so you can play for me again."

One of the seniors had been listening to Edward's play and yelled across the room, "Hey, play it again, Sam!"

Bella glanced at the direction that the comment came from and waved. "Maybe another time, Fran. The piano is really out of tune." Her eyes went back to Edward.

"I'd like to play for you again." It was Edward's turn to blush at the attention to his skill. "Does that mean you'd like to see me again?"

"Oh, yes." Bella blushed as Edward took her hand in his once more. "Very much."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Jasper stood outside in the parking lot with his cell phone to his ear. "Come on, Edward, answer your damn phone."

He didn't even see what jumped up and snatched his phone out of his hand until he looked down. "Hey! Give me back my phone, short stuff!"

"Short stuff? Well, I-" The little midget never finished her sentence. Instead, she punched Jasper in the gut. Hard.

"Edward does _not_ need to be interrupted right now!"

Jasper was doubled over and finally able to see Short Stuff's face. She was cute. She had also just grabbed his cell, punched him in the gut and caused him some agonizing pain.

Alice stuffed his cell phone into a back pocket in her jeans. "Edward is talking to my friend, Bella, who just might be the woman of his dreams!"

"Edward is your brother?" Jasper was able to straighten up some. He kept his left arm over his stomach for protection. "How's it going with him and Bella?"

Short Stuff's eyebrows were furrowed in anger at him. "What's it to you?"

He held out one of his hands toward her. "Jasper Hale, I'm a friend of Edwards. I was just calling him to see if everything was okay. You know, if Bella wasn't what he thought so that he could make an excuse to leave."

Alice reluctantly accepted Jasper's hand.

_That's the feeling that Edward talked about when he met Bella. That stupid tingly feeling. _

"Alice Cullen." She answered curtly.

"Can I have my phone back, Alice?" Jasper stood up the rest of the way and brushed his blond locks out of his face. "Please?"

"Get it yourself." Alice said smiling. She jumped back and fourth across the pavement in front of him; twirling in circles as she did so. And Jaspers' phone was in her back pocket. "That is, if you want it that bad."

"Oh, I want it bad."

_You fuckin' moron. That was lame. Wait, wait, she's smiling! _

Jasper slowly stepped toward her as if he was an animal hunting its prey. Alice batted her eyelashes and tried to escape by backing up. Her escape was thwarted by Jasper's car. He was standing in front her now, hands stretched out on either side of her head. Jasper bent down and whispered into her ear. "Are you going to give me my phone?"

His tongue flicked out and grazed Alice's earlobe and she gasped. His lips assaulted her neck, nibbling and leaving a trail of kisses. Jasper's hands slid down his car and to Alice's tiny waist. His hands glided toward her ass and dipped into the back pockets of her jeans. Jasper heard Alice emit a low groan deep in her throat. He didn't want to stop kissing this girl any time soon. His left hand removed his phone and he put it in his jacket pocket. He quickly returned his left hand to where had been. Jasper surprised Alice when he squeezed her ass and pushed her into him. This time, her groan was more audible and deep.

Standing on her tip toes, Alice reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jasper felt her pull him closer. He flicked his tongue against her bottom lip, silently seeking permission to explore her mouth. Instead of granting him access, she pulled away slightly so she could speak.

"You have your phone, you can leave now." Her voice was shaky and uneven. She was trying not to gasp for air. Jasper knew that she was affected by their kiss just as much as he was.

"What if I don't want to?" Jasper softly kissed her forehead. His lips grazed each of her eyelids before making brief contact with her lips.

The front door to the Senior Center opened and someone cleared their throat to interrupt them. Jasper looked up to see Edward and Bella in the doorway, holding hands.

_I can see that things evidently went well with them._

"Love connections are all around us, I see." Edward laughed at his sister's expression of surprise and lust.

"I was just getting my cell phone from Alice." Jasper said innocently. He didn't move or change his position in front of Alice.

Jasper shook his head. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you had such an amazing sister?"

Alice was beaming at Jasper's comment and then looked at Edward. "And why didn't you tell me you had such an amazing friend?"

"Why didn't you tell me that _you_ had such an amazing friend?" Edward asked, pointing to Bella.

"We could keep going all day like this." Bella stated.

Jasper's hand squeezed Alice's ass through her jeans again which made her squeal. Bella raised an eyebrow at Jasper. "What? I told you, I was just getting my phone back from Alice."

Bella looked at Edward and then back to Jasper and Alice. "Oh, so is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

* * *

**A/N:**

Only one more chapter to go! I was thinking of doing a sequel to _Serendipitous_ but it will be different than how other sequels work. Instead of just an additional story, it'd be a bunch of one-shot like chapters. It would cover major events (important occasions such as their first fight, first time they said 'I love you', etc) with the Edward and Bella I created in _Serendipitous._ I have some events in mind but if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I am anticipating calling the continuation story _Snapshots._ I'd also like to hear from you if you'd be interested in reading _Snapshots._

I would also like to announce for those of you that don't have me on author alerts that I have posted a new story. I'm very, very, very excited about _Legacy._ It's probably the best thing I've ever written. It's in first person POV and I'd really like to go back and re-write _Serendipitous_ into a first person POV. It works so much better and the writing flows out of me a lot faster. If I do go ahead and write _Snapshots_ it will be from a first person POV. Hell, I'm really tempted to write the last chapter of _Serendipitous_ in first person POV. That's how much better I write in that POV.

When I got back the first chapter of _Legacy_ from my beta her response was:

"_OMG! OMG! OMG! Ok, I read through this (and the edits you sent me). I LOVE this story."_

I finished writing the third chapter of _Legacy_ today and have a lot of plans for the story. It is a Drama/Angst/Humor/Mystery combo. I'm using the characters from Twilight but my story was inspired by a plot in a V.C. Andrews novel called _Dawn._ For any of you Emmett lovers out there he will have a major role in _Legacy_ and he will have depth and personality too.

I hope to see some of you commenting over on _Legacy. _Here is the summary to entice you!

In his seventeen years Edward Masen grew up in fifteen different states. Now, in his last year of high school, his family has landed in the little rainy town of Forks, Washington. Edward dreamt of being a doctor or musician but his family's low-income financial status has held him back. His boring but normal life is turned upside down when he meets Emmett Cullen and his well-off affluent family. Can Edward survive the web of deception, secrets and lies that his life is so suddenly filled with? Will Edward ever know who he is truly meant to be?


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